Hospital Branding

This question used to be asked differently – “do your audiences click with you?”  Meaning, do they engage with your messages, watch your commercials, open your direct mail, or subscribe to your email. Today, it works differently.  It’s your brand’s job to click with its audiences in a way that encourages them to opt-in and engage with your organization.  These HubSpot statistics are a bit scary and support who’s really in control of message delivery and reception:          95% of consumers say they have skipped TV ads          98% have unsubscribed from an email           53% cite that there are direct mail pieces that go unopened         66% have requested to be on “do not call” list:  Approximately       200 million Americans  have  registered their phone numbers on     the FTC’s list As written about in other posts on thi...

On a recent flight to a holiday destination, I was fortunate to be on a newer plane with many of the latest enhancements to passenger comfort and entertainment.  For example, I had my own personal communications screen that provided my choice of movies, network shows, new streaming programs (Netflix) and a host of other possible viewing selections.  While having a screen in the headset was nothing new, having that many personal choices was something that I hadn't seen before.  And if that wasn't enough, I could get wi-fi and choose from my personal inventory of entertainment and data options. As I stretched my legs and walked through the cabin, I noticed how many different channels were being watched.  In fact, I didn't see any two people on the same program.  This made me think of how times and the way we communicate with people have changed and how personal it has become. Staying on board the airplane theme, recall how airlines used to entertain us. ...

You have a new name, an exciting new brand platform, and a breakthrough idea for an ad campaign.  You're ready for launch!  Then budgeting reality hits and now you feel like a NASA astronaut stuck on the launch pad, grounded by a weather delay or mechanical issue.  Dollars spent on the up-front planning phase have greatly reduced what's available on the back-end.  Or, senior leadership has determined that operational issues need to be in place prior to launch and these costs are coming out of your budget. With countless branding initiatives taking place among hospitals throughout the U.S., balancing budget issues with effective brand launch plans might have you seeing stars, and not from light years away. A new brand strategy is more than just the promotional component.  It's actually a 5-step process that includes developmental, operational, inspirational, promotional, and cultural elements - all competing for marketing launch dollars.  So, given l...